浜口の論理
昨晩、浜口隆一の「日本国民建築様式の研究」を読み終わった。新建築に1944年にのった論考だが、8万字近い。西洋建築は構築的、物質的、他方、日本建築は行為的、空間的。そうなった理由を浜口は材料に見る。この論理が実に愉快だ。西洋は石で重い。だから設計に莫大なエネルギーを要し、そのエネルギーが物質に溜まる。しかるに日本建築は木だ。木は軽いから設計にエネルギーがかからず、物質にエネルギーは溜まらない。だから重要さは物ではなく間に認められる。というこの愉快な論理に昨晩クスっとしてしまった。Last night I finished reading Ryuichi Hamaguchi’s A Study of Japanese National Architectural Styles. This is an article written in 1944 for Shinkenchiku, but it is close to 80,000 characters. Western architecture is constructive and material, while Japanese architecture is performative and spatial. Hamaguchi sees the reason for this in the materials. I really enjoy this theory. The Western material is stone and heavy. Therefore, the design requires a huge amount of energy, and that energy accumulates in the material. However, Japanese architecture is made out of wood. Since the wood is light, the design does not require energy, and the material does not accumulate energy. Therefore, the importance is recognized not in things but in between things. This delightful logic made me chuckle last night.